News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 49
Janit Brockway and her employee Katelyn Andrade greet visitors to Bedouin each day. It is one of the most unique and interesting shops in Sisters, offering gifts, clothes, and jewelry to both local residents and tourists. Janit and Jim Brockway, owners of Bedouin, are enjoying their 28th year of doing business in their rustic log-style store at 143 E. Hood Ave. Bedouin's wares are best described in an online buyer's guide: "An eclectic collection of women's clothing, jewelry,... Full story
Village Interiors Design Center and Home Furnishings has been serving Sisters Country, all of Central Oregon, and beyond for 33 years, according to owner Patricia Molesworth, who has owned the business for the past 23 years. The center, located at the northwest corner of East Hood Avenue and South Larch Street includes a 6,000-square-foot facility with a large showroom with a large number of samples of flooring, countertops, slabs, showers, fabrics, home furnishings, and... Full story
Central Oregon visitors find many interesting gift stores and specialty shops in Sisters, but there is one unique shop here that has a reputation far beyond Oregon. The Jewel, located at 221 W. Cascade Ave. next to Barclay Park, is starting its 23rd year as a contemporary jewelry store offering custom jewelry made from silver, gold, minerals, rocks and fossils, all displayed in a spectacular setting. Owner and designer Jan Daggett has guided this enterprise through more than... Full story
Since 1976, Hoyt's Hardware & Building Supply has played a major role in supplying contractors and property owners throughout Sisters Country and much of Central Oregon with what they need to build or repair their homes and businesses. Now as the business moves into its 39th year of operation, founder and owner Chuck Hoyt is enjoying retirement. He has turned management of the company over to his son, Tyler, confident that his son and the company staff that averages over 25... Full story
With the start of the New Year, there will be a new owner of The Paper Place, the greeting card and gift store in Sisters located in The Gallery Annex at the corner of South Elm Street and West Hood Avenue. However, the ownership of the store will remain in the family. After 31 years of operating one of the longest-running businesses in Sisters, Bob and Jerry Petersen are selling their store to their daughter Kara Calmettes. Bob was raised in Hillsboro and had a long career... Full story
It has been a longstanding tradition that every town in the American West must have a Western store selling cowboy clothing, boots, and everything else with a Western theme. Since 1977, Sisters has enjoyed such a store in Leavitt's. However, the store carries much more than the usual Western gear and the owner, John Leavitt, has had a lifetime of experience as a real cowboy. Located at the corner of East Cascade Avenue and North Elm Street, Leavitt's will soon be starting its... Full story
Since 1978, Beacham's Clock Co., owned and operated by Ed and Kathi Beacham, has been building and repairing clocks for customers throughout the United States and around the world. This year as they recognize their 35th anniversary in Sisters, their reputation as masters of their profession is stronger than ever. At any one time, more than 1,000 clocks can be seen at their business location at the corner of West Hood Avenue and South Oak Street. Some clocks are old and some are new; many are for sale while others are being... Full story
One of the first questions that many first-time visitors to Sisters ask when they see the large sign on the building at the corner of Cascade Avenue and South Elm Street is "what is The Gallimaufry?" For Bob and Claudia Grooney, that name represents 35 years of doing business in Sisters. That's how long they have operated The Gallimaufry & Liquor Store selling gifts and beverages while being active in the Sisters community. "We chose that name deliberately," Claudia says. "We... Full story
After 34 years of doing business in Sisters, Sisters Mercantile is closing its doors. Kay and John McLaren officially closed their women's clothing store in Barclay Square on July 31, one of the businesses established in those early days as Sisters was changing from a fading small town into the tourist destination of today. The McLarens started their business in the spring of 1979 in the Gallery Annex, in partnership with Kay's parents, Dan and Marge Shoop. "We rented the... Full story
An emotional surprise meeting was held on June 8 of Sisters Rodeo weekend between a recovering injured horseback rider and two Good Samaritans who came to her rescue a year ago. The story begins on Saturday, June 9, 2012, as the Sisters Rodeo parade was getting ready to start. Salem residents Ron Boucher and Carol Coley were driving down West Hood Avenue in Sisters looking for a parking place so they could walk downtown to watch the parade. As they were driving past the back... Full story
Property that served as the Oregon Department of Forestry headquarters in Sisters for over 75 years has been sold. Bill and Zoe Willitts of Sisters have purchased the quarter-block of land and buildings at the intersection of West Jefferson Avenue and South Elm Street. The property came on the market a year ago when the department relocated its facility to a 2.5-acre tract of land two miles east of Sisters on Highway 126. In 2011, a new building was constructed there housing... Full story
Exciting stories were told this past month of personal experiences of hikers and others escaping the Pole Creek Fire that started on September 9 and burned 26,795 acres south of Sisters. Four cars were destroyed at the Pole Creek trailhead, several hikers barely escaped the flames in their car, and others were forced to take a 21-mile detour to the west side of the Three Sisters. However, two firefighters had their own dangerous experience that ended with a dramatic rescue with one of them on the ground and another flying a... Full story
Let me see if I have this right. Presently, if I am going west on Main Avenue and wish to park, I signal a right turn, start my turn just as I approach the parking lane and park. As I drive in, I can clearly see the sides of both cars on either side of my lane and watch for any car doors to open, I can look ahead and watch for any children to run out into my lane, I can look for adults stepping off the sidewalk, and I can see where the curb is. When I go to leave, I look both ways for traffic as I get in my car, slowly back... Full story
Nearly four years after the 2001 Oregon State Legislature passed two bills to eliminate the name "squaw" from geographic names in Oregon, Squaw Creek still doesn't have a new name. A process may soon be developed in Central Oregon to bring together all concerned parties to develop a recommendation for "squaw" place names in the local area. "We have yet to all sit down together and we are now in the early stages of working on a process," said Sisters District Ranger Bill Anthony. Many of the local "squaw" names are located on... Full story
Fire Marshal Dave Wheeler reviews construction plans for new buildings, making recommendations for fire prevention and public safety. photo by Jim Fisher After more than six months of wearing two hats as both a shift captain and fire marshal for the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District (RFPD), Dave Wheeler is now the full-time fire marshal for the district. The appointment became official at a special evening ceremony for fire district employees and their families held January 3 at the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire... Full story
The touchy issue of the name of Squaw Creek first came up locally about 11 years ago when the Sisters Ranger District was working on a watershed analysis for Squaw Creek. According to Maret Pajutee, district ecologist, in visiting with members of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, the Forest Service learned that the term was offensive to many Native Americans. Curious as to where the name had come from, Pajutee did some research and found a personal history of William Newton Cobb, who first came to the Sisters area... Full story
A working smoke alarm most likely saved the life of a Sisters resident during an early Monday morning house fire, according to Dave Wheeler, fire marshal for the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District. George Hargraves was awakened by a smoke alarm about 1 a.m. at his residence at 415 East Washington St. in Sisters. He immediately left the house and called 911 on his cell phone. Firefighters responded from the Sisters Fire Hall just three blocks away. Quick detection and a fast response resulted in only interior... Full story
A Forest Service plan will protect riparian areas along Squaw Creek. photo by Jim Fisher Foresters are planning to restore and protect riparian areas along Squaw Creek south of Sisters. Major goals of the Sisters Ranger District project are to improve stream habitat for bull trout by reducing the negative impacts of off-roading and camping in sensitive streamside riparian areas. The proposed project covers about 10 miles of Squaw Creek as it flows towards Sisters near the Three Creek Road, Forest Service Road 16. Specific... Full story
Some 400 acres of county-owned forestland located in Fremont Canyon eight miles northeast of Sisters may become part of an outdoor classroom for natural resource students at Central Oregon Community College and Oregon State University-Cascades, according to Joe Stutler, Deschutes County forester. Stutler has proposed to Deschutes County Commissioners and the colleges that some or all of the 7,000 acres of county-owned lands be made available for outdoor studies. The proposal has met with initial interest from both the county... Full story
Hal Lock communicates with the Amateur Radio Emergency System from his home in Crossroads west of Sisters. photo by Jim Fisher A new emergency radio coordinator for the Deschutes Amateur Radio Emergency Service is ready to provide radio communications for emergency services agencies in Deschutes County. Amateur radio operators jump into action if agencies' normal communications fail. Hal Lock, a Sisters-area resident living in Crossroads, was named to this volunteer position last summer. "Each Oregon county has an emergency... Full story
Sisters area residents living in the fire-prone forestland-urban interface received information on fuels reduction measures and a self-certification form from the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) last week. Owners of more than 30,000 individual interface properties in Deschutes County were notified, according to Robert Young, Central District Forester with ODF. Locally, property owners receiving notices include those in Tollgate, Crossroads, Indian Ford, Black Butte Ranch and other interface areas including individual and... Full story
Fivemile Butte is already studded with communication towers. photo by Jim Fisher A long-awaited new radio repeater is expected to improve operations for three local fire districts and increase safety for firefighters. The repeater will be installed on Fivemile Butte southwest of Black Butte Ranch, according to Tay Robertson, chief of the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District (RFPD). Plans are to have the new repeater working before major winter snows. "We have the equipment on hand and FCC approval to proceed,... Full story
A Sisters area couple has filed Deschutes County's first claim under voter-approved Ballot Measure 37 seeking either approval to build a dwelling on their Cloverdale Road property east of Sisters or to be compensated in the amount of $383,000 for the loss of their property value. Eugene and Barbara Prete's claim was presented to Deschutes County commissioners last Thursday, December 2. In a letter to the commissioners, Prete's attorney Ross Day stated that their loss came as a result of actions taken by the county in... Full story
Ben Bruegeman. photo by Jim Cornelius Ben Bruegeman is the new paramedic with the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District. Bruegeman reported for work November 15 after completing both his fire science and paramedic studies at Chemeketa Community College in Salem. He is the 10th paramedic now working for the fire district. Paramedic service is the highest of three levels of emergency medical services provided by the district, starting with the fire responder level, the intermediate level and then the paramedic... Full story
A Sisters area resident has good reason to believe that --in this fast-moving and often impersonal age -- there are still people ready to help a person in need. When he needed help, complete strangers were there to aid him. When they left without leaving their full names, he was successful in locating them and thanking them in person. It all began on October 20 when Earl Richards was driving home in his pickup around midnight coming back from a one-day trip to Salem. It was a dark night with a light mist falling. As he... Full story
